Sleepwalking, Sleeptalking, Parasomnias

Do you sleepwalk, sleeptalk, perhaps sleep-eat, or even hurt yourself or others in the night? This is usually indicative of a Parasomnia.

Undesirable and non-deliberate behaviours in the night whilst asleep (or at the transition in/out of sleep) are known as Parasomnias. These are exceedingly common in the younger age group, and can often be an indicator of other co-morbid sleep disorders in the older age group. More recently, they’ve attracted a lot of attention in the form of sleep-sex (sexsomnia!), sleep-related violence, and sleep-driving.

More commonly Parasomnias present as sleepwalking, sleeptalking, perhaps hitting out and hurting themselves or others.

In the past, these phenomena were attributed to behavioural or psychiatric disorders, but we now know that :

• Parasomnias are a manifestation of many sleep disorders• Parasomnias are readily explainable• We can diagnose them easily• Parasomnias (both NREM and RBD) are treatable.

NREM Parasomnias are more common in the young, REM Parasomnias (REM Behaviour Disorder) more common in the older group and in those taking particular medications. Parasomnias also overlap with other conditions such as Narcolepsy. Treating Parasomnias without knowing their true triggers can make matters worse.

In our local Adelaide sleep clinic, we can consult you.

In our state-of-the-art Adelaide Sleep Laboratory, we can study these, assess the true triggers, and video-record any activity (something home sleep studies cannot do). We can also assess to see if these overlap with other conditions including Narcolepsy – this also can’t be done in the home.